Display container converted from shipping carton



Feb. 18, 1958 EB. GARMAN DISPLAY CONTAINER coNvERTED FRONSHIPPING CARTON Filed Aug. 16, 1955 vENToR ATToRNEYsa United States Patent O DISPLAY CONTAINER .CONVERTED FROM SHIPPING CARTON Edward B. Garman, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owenslllinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio The present invention relates to boxes, cartons, or other `Similar Containers and more Speccally t a .combination shipping and displaying container formed from a onepiece blankhof corrugated paperboard. This invention is readily applicable to conventional paperboard cartons of varied sizes employed to retain a plurality of merchandising packages during shipment and storage.

In the merchandising field it is highly desirable for the retailer to have available a display container convertible from the same container in which the goods are shipped. Thus the retailer is able to more effectively exhibit the contained goods to promote their sale. This feature is particularly valuable in self-serve marketing where the purchaser handles and selects the goods.

Previously most types of combination shipping and dis playing cartons have either been fabricated of Complex blanks or have included additional elements packed within the carton to form the display arrangement. The increased cost and complexity of such cartons has limited their adoption. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, economical, dual-purpose container which is adaptable to paperboard cartons of conventional design to function both as a shipping carton and as a display stand for the contained goods when the carton is properly opened.

Another object of this invention is to furnish a novel exhibiting container convertible from a conventional paperboard carton without any increase in the amount of material used to fabricate the carton,

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel method of converting a conventional paperboard carton into a display container by following a prescribed opening procedure.

The specific nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed `description taken in conjunction with the annexed sheet of drawings, on which by way of preferred example are illustrated two embodiments of my invention.

On the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a conventional carton sealed in shipping arrangement with indicated lines of severance and its interior shown in broken lines;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the opened carton in display arrangement;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 3 showing a modification of my invention.

The container as shown in Fig. 1 is formed from a single piece of corrugated paperboard having fold lines marked by scoring to facilitate its erection. The ends of the sheet paperboard blank are joined at one vertical edge to form an ordinary rectangular carton. The top 17 and bottom 30 of the carton are formed from extension flaps of the sides 10, front 11, and back 12 which flaps are joined in overlapping arrangement. The flaps 2,823,794 Patented Feb. 18, 1958 ricc which form the top 17 and bottom 30 are shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 to indicate their position when the carton is sealed. All of the above mentioned features of the carton are fully conventional to perform the shipping and storing functions for a number of articles or packages (not shown).

Another pattern of broken lines as shown in Fig. 1 indicates the lines of severance for properly opening the carton by cutting to create its display form. The sev erance lines are marked on the external surfaces of the carton by any convenient method, such as printed broken lines, along with opening instructions to ldescribe and/or illustrate the method of converting the carton.

The vertical walls of the carton consist of the sides 10, front 11, and back 12, all of which are rect-angular shaped panels. The opposing panels are of equal size and lie at right angles to their adjoining members. The top 17 of the carton is partially formed by the extension flaps 13 and 15 which are attached to the front 11 and back 12 respectively with each comprising one-half of its external surface. Beneath the external extension flaps 13 and 15 are located similar extension iiaps 14 and 16 which are hingedly attached to the sides 10. The independent flaps 13, 14, 15, and 16 are folded into overlapping positions and joined, usually with glue or staples,I to comprise the full top 17. Similarly the bottom 30 of the carton is formed from overlapping aps 26, 27, 28, and 29. The ilaps 27 and 29 are hingedly attached to the lower edges of the front 11 and back 12 respectively. The ilaps `26 and 28 are attached to the lower edges: of the sides 10 and lie in the same plane contiguous and attached to the underlying external extension flaps 27 and 29.

The carton has straight lines marked on its sides 10 and front 11 to indicate that these portions of the carton are severed on opening to form the display stand. Indicated lines 18, 19, and 20 are marked on the upper forward portions of the sides 10, usually by printing, to designate that triangular-shaped portions are removed therefrom on opening. Cutting or severance line 18 ex.- tends from the upper rear corner of the side 10 to a lower forward portion thereof where the side 10 `joins the front 11. The severance line 19 extends horizontally along the length of the upper edge of the side 10 adjacent to the top 17. The severance line 20 extends in a vertical direction along the forward edge of the side 10 adjacent to the front 11. The above three cutting lines 18, 19, and 20 form a right angle triangle :on the upper forward portions of each side 10 comprising less than one-half the area thereof. It is most convenient in the opening procedure to remove these triangular-shaped sections first.

Another severance line 21 extends across the full length of the front 11 on its lower intermediate portion at the same height as where the diagonal severance lines 18 on the sides 10 intersect the front 11. The cutting line 21 is parallel to the lower front edge to leave a ledge portion 22 in front of the opened container to support the sides 10. Above the cutting line 21 and parallel thereto is located another cutting line 23 which extends similarly across the full face of the front 11 in a medial area thereof.

Thus the carton is fully opened by cutting the front 11 across its horizontal length along the two lines 21 and 23. A rectangular strip 24 is separated and removed from the lower portion of the front 11. The complete top 17 and upper front section 33 remain hingedly attached to each other at the upper front edge 32. The top 17 and attached upper front section 33 form an extension strip connected to the back 12 at its upper rear edge 31.

After opening the carton the top 17 and upper front section 33 are swung upward and backward to facilitate the removal of the contained goods from the opened carton.

To form the display container the top 17 and attached front section 33 are swung inwardly into the interior of the carton about the upper rear edge 3l. T he extreme free edge of the upper front section 33 is inserted into the lower rear of the carton at the junction of the back 12 and bottom 30 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The full top 17 is then inclined within the interior of the carton in one plane to form a back rest or inclined shelf for the display of merchandise. The lateral edges of both the top 17 and the upper front section 33 are held in position by friction within and against the internal surfaces of the sides 10. The upper front edge 32 of the carton is folded inwardly with the front section 33 turned rearwardly to support the lower portion of the top 17. The upper front edge 32 is folded inwardly to slightly less than a right angle when the height of the container is less than its width. Of course, in a container having the opposite relative dimensions the upper front edge 32 is extended so that its internal angle is slightly greater than a right angle when the free edge of the upper front section 33 is inserted into the lower rear of the carton.

In another modification of my invention the line 23 on the intermediate portion of the front 11 consists of a scored fold line rather than a cutting line. Similar triangular-shaped portions are removed from the sides initially on opening as above. As shown in Fig. 4 only the severance line 21 is cut on opening to separate the front 11 leaving the rectangular strip 24 hingedly attached to the upper front section 33. After the goods are removed the strip 24 is folded inwardly and upwardly about the score line 23, and the attached top 17 and upper front section 33 are swung inwardly about the upper rear edge 3l. The score line 23 is inserted into the lower rear of the carton at the intersection of the back 12 and bottom 30 with strip 24 turned upward against the lower inner surface of the back l2. ln a like manner the lateral edges of the top 17 and upper front Section 33 are held in place by friction against the inter-v nal surfaces of the sides 10. ln this modification one less cut is required to form the display stand with the folded intermediate strip 24 placed against the back 12.

As stated the contained merchandise is removed after the carton is properly opened by severing its sides 10 and front 11 before forming the display container. After the display form has been erected as disclosed above thc removed articles -or packages are placed within the cont-ainer resting on its bottom 30 inclined against its top 17. Whether the articles be large or small, they may be placed in an attractive display against the inclined top facing the eye level of the viewer. Small articles may be inclinedly stacked in several rows or large articles placed in a single row against the top 17.

The advertising message which is normally imprinted upon the top 17 meets the observations of the viewer so that its portions which are not hidden by the inclined articles are easy to read. By concentrating the advertising material on the upper portion of the top 17, i. e., the flap 15, and the lower rear portions of the sides 10 the advertising message may be easily seen from any forward position by prospective purchasers.

Various modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A display container converted from a rectangular carton into display form, said rectangular carton having single-ply, front, rear and side walls and flap-formed top and bottom walls comprised of foldable sheet material, said display container having bottom, sloping upright side walls, high back and low front vertical walls, and a strip comprised of the complete nap-formed planar top and upper portion of the front wall forming a hingedly conf nected extension of the back wall, said strip being folded about the upper edge of said back wall with its lmajor portion comprised of the complete planar carton top ex-` tending from said back wall in a downwardly and forwardly inclined direction forcefully maintained in position by friction interiorly between said side walls, the outermost portion of said strip comprised of the upper portion of the carton front wall arranged in a downwardly and rearwardly inclined direction between said side walls with its extremity placed within the transverse lower rear corner of said display form to support the major portion of said strip in the inclined back-rest position.

2. A display container converted from a rectangular carton into display form as dened in claim l, the outermost portion of said strip being folded at a fold line near its free end with the fold inserted into the lower rear corner of said container to support the forwardly-inclined major portion of said strip.

3. A display container converted from a rectangular carton into display form as defined in claim l, the extreme free edge of said strip inserted into the lower rear corner `of said container to support the lower edge of the i forwardly-inclined major portion of said strip.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,024,702 Powell Dec. 17, 1935 2,146,421 Davidson Feb. 7, 1939 2,178,091 Weiss Oct. 3l, 1939 2,259,041 Larkin Oct. 14, 1941 2,324,232 Pantalone July 13, 1943 2,670,126 Frankenstein Feb.' 23, 1954 2,671,384 DAmbrosio Mar. 9, 1954 2,687,067 Arneson Aug. 24, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 689,838 Great Britain Apr. 8, 1953 

